Emerging Perspectives on the Built Environment. Results of the 1st International Conference of Dot.AT.i 2025 “Knowing and Connecting”

The Study Day “Knowing and Connecting”, held in Catania on January 30, 2025, and organized by the Dot.AT.i group with the support of the Scientific Society of Technical Architecture Ar.Tec, provided a platform for dialogue among doctoral students, early-career researchers, and postdoctoral scholars within the Italian CEAR/08 disciplinary sector. The initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen the scientific identity of emerging scholars and to foster a national network based on exchange, collaboration, and intergenerational dialogue. Established in 2023, Dot.AT.i promotes cohesion among young researchers, encouraging the sharing of methods, approaches, and research perspectives, while supporting innovation and technology transfer in alignment with the University’s Third Mission. This volume, “Emerging Perspectives on the Built Environment – Results of Dot.AT.i 2025 ‘Knowing and Connecting’”, presents a structured overview of ongoing research in technical architecture, organized into four thematic areas: Heritage, Digitalization, Materials, and Comfort and Design. The contributions reflect multidisciplinary approaches addressing the environmental, social, and technological challenges of the contemporary built environment. Particular attention is devoted to Cultural Heritage, understood as a complex system of tangible and intangible values, and to the role of digital technologies—such as BIM, GIS, Digital Twins, AI, and IoT—in enhancing knowledge, design, and management processes. The integration of innovative materials and building envelope solutions highlights the need to balance technological advancement with compatibility in heritage contexts. Finally, the theme of comfort and design emphasizes holistic approaches oriented toward well-being, inclusion, and sustainability. The volume reflects the diversity of current research and the active contribution of a new generation of scholars engaged in shaping the future of the built environment.